Flint native and Wayne State swimmer Catherine Leix wins another national award

Courtesy file photoCatherine Leix is a graduate of Flint Southwestern Academy and attended Wayne State University.

FLINT, MI --The awards keep coming in for Flint native and Wayne State University swimmer Catherine Leix after her spectacular senior season with the Warriors.

In addition to being placed on the First Team Academic All-American team for the second year in a row, Leix was also recently awarded the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Capital One All-American of the Year for Division II women’s sports. She was the first Wayne State student athlete to win the award in its 60 years of existence. The award is voted on by college sports information directors from across the country.

“Out of the 80 people on the final ballot she was the one that got the most votes, which is pretty spectacular,” said Jeff Weiss, the associate athletic director for media relations at Wayne State. “That’s what makes it all the more impressive because people that are SIDs from across the country that are on the voting committee picked her as the one. When you look down the list of the kids that made the ballot, it’s a pretty impressive group of student athletes.”

All the recognition comes in what has been a storybook ending to Leix’s swimming career. She earned All-American honors at nationals every season since her sophomore year and as a senior helped lead the Warriors to a Division II national championship, the first national title for Wayne State since the the women’s fencing team won in 1989.

Beyond just her abilities in the pool, Leix’s leadership and experience as a fifth-year senior resonated throughout the Wayne State swim program.

“Catherine was the leader for us,” Wayne State swim coach Sean Peters said after Leix was honored by the DAC. “She was the sounding board for our entire program, the men as well, at nationals.”

Leix concluded her collegiate career as a 16-time All-American (11 first team – nine individual and two relays, plus five-time honorable mention All-American – four individual and one relay) and was a four-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic Team selection earning All-Academic Excellence accolades the last two years.

A 2012 graduate with a degree in science education secondary along with a minor in biology, Leix had a 3.95 cumulative grade-point average.

Contact Ross at rmaghiel@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter @Maghielse.